New York packaging EPR bill stalls for third year amid industry-NGO divide

In the US, New York’s Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act (PRRIA) has failed to pass for a third consecutive year. 

The EPR bill would require producers to fund recycling infrastructure and reduce packaging, but New York’s legislative session ended before it could be put to a vote, despite the bill having cleared the Senate. 

Since its proposal, plastic and paper industry groups have raised concerns about the legislation, stating that it will drive up costs for businesses and manufacturers, while NGOs continue to support the bill’s efforts to reduce packaging waste. 

“A one-size-fits-all approach poses serious affordability concerns for hard-working New York families and businesses without delivering meaningful recycling benefits for paper,” Ryan Carroll, senior director for Government Affairs at the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA), tells Packaging Insights. 

In recent years, the bill has faced fierce packaging industry backlash, stemming from concerns over cost and compliance issues. 

Plastic industry groups welcomed the delay of the bill, with the Flexible Packaging Association saying it “appreciates that the legislature failed to move forward with the flawed packaging EPR,” while Ameripen previously called the bill “overly prescriptive and unfeasible.” 

In April, lawmakers introduced nearly 150 amendments to the bill addressing plastic and industry concerns, but retained its core goals. These include a 30% reduction in packaging over 12 years, restrictions on toxic chemicals, and producer-funded programs.

NGO support of PRRIA

In contrast, NGO Beyond Plastics has been advocating for this bill since its proposal, highlighting the environmental and health concerns over plastic pollution and toxic chemicals. 

Judith Enck, president of Beyond Plastics, tells Packaging Insights that she was disappointed the bill didn’t come to a vote.

“The New York legislative session just wrapped up a few days ago, so we are still examining what did and did not happen in the final days of the session.” 

Days before the New York session came to an end, nineteen environmental justice groups sent a letter to Albany legislators urging them to bring the PRRIA to a vote before the session ended. 

The letter raised concerns over communities of color in New York that reportedly experience health issues due to plastic pollution.

Enck adds: “We are, of course, disappointed that the bill did not come up for a vote, and we intend to keep working on it. The problems the bill is addressing are only getting worse.”

PPRIA’s paper oversight

Carroll says that for paper manufacturers, New York’s EPR bill failed to reflect a “basic reality” that paper and paper-based packaging already have a “strong, effective recycling system.” 

In recent months, AF&PA has argued that PRRIA poses “serious affordability concerns for hard-working New York families and businesses.” It has also been noted that, beyond affordability, PRRIA will not improve recycling rates but make paper recycling “more difficult and expensive.”

“AF&PA supports practical, data-driven recycling policies that focus on materials with low recycling rates,” says Carroll.

“What we oppose are blanket EPR mandates that ignore how well paper recycling already works and risk making successful systems more costly and harder to operate.”

US EPR’s in turmoil? 

Last year, a report from Beyond Plastics revealed that in 2025, over 100 businesses lobbied to block PRRIA, reportedly outnumbering supporters of the bill by four to one.

Other EPR legislation in the US is facing similar industry and NGO concerns. In Oregon, the National Association of Wholesaler Distributors secured a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of Oregon’s EPR law after arguing it imposes burdensome fees and taxes on distributors.

In May, California’s EPR bill was approved, but it is facing legal scrutiny from environmental NGOs, who have argued it undermines the law’s initial recycling and plastic reduction goals.